Chapter 4: Socialization, Interaction, and the Self

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions and theoretical concepts from Chapter 4: Socialization, Interaction, and the Self.

Nature vs. Nurture Debate

The ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits.

Sociobiology

A branch of science that uses biological and evolutionary explanations for social behavior.

Socialization

The process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society.

Feral Children

Children in myths and rare real-world cases who have had little human contact and may have lived in social isolation from a young age.

Self

The individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from others.

Psychoanalytic Theory

A perspective on the self associated with Sigmund Freud that emphasizes childhood and sexual development as indelible influences on identity.

Id

According to Freud, the part of the mind consisting of basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic energy.

Ego

According to Freud, the realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego.

Superego

According to Freud, the component of the mind representing internalized demands of society, composed of the conscience and the ego-ideal.

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Four distinct stages of self-development between birth and adulthood according to Freud, where personality quirks stem from being fixated at a stage.

Looking-Glass Self

Charles Cooley's notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us.

Preparatory Stage

The first stage in Mead's theory of the development of self, wherein children mimic or imitate others.

Play Stage

The second stage in Mead's theory of self-development, wherein children pretend to play the role of a particular or significant other.

Particular or Significant Other

The perspectives and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes.

Game Stage

The third stage in Mead's theory of self-development, wherein children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other.

Generalized Other

The perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of society in general) that children learn and take into account when shaping behavior.

Dual Nature of the Self

George Herbert Mead's idea that we experience the self as both subject and object, the 'I' and the 'me'.

Thomas Theorem

Classic formulation by W. I. Thomas stating that 'if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.'

Definition of the Situation

An agreement with others about 'what is going on' in a given circumstance, allowing consensus to coordinate actions and realize goals.

Expressions of Behavior

Small actions, such as an eye roll or head nod, that serve as interactional tools to help project our definition of the situation to others.

Expressions Given

Interactional expressions that are intentional and usually verbal, such as utterances.

Expressions Given Off

Observable interactional expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal.

Impression Management

The effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation.

Dramaturgy

An approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance.

Front

In dramaturgy, the setting or scene of performances that helps establish the definition of the situation.

Region

In dramaturgy, the context in which a performance takes place, including location, decor, and props.

Personal Front

The performance tactics used to present oneself to others, including appearance, costume, and manner.

Backstage

In dramaturgy, the places where individuals rehearse and prepare for their performances.

Frontstage

In dramaturgy, the places where individuals deliver their performances to an audience of others.

Social Construction

The process by which a concept or practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exists.

Cooling the Mark Out

Behaviors that help others save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact.

Copresence

Face-to-face interaction or being in the presence of others.

Agents of Socialization

Social groups, institutions, and individuals that provide structured situations where socialization occurs.

Hidden Curriculum

Values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling.

Resocialization

The process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as part of a transition in life.

Total Institutions

Institutions in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so that they can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities.

Status

A position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations.

Ascribed Status

A status that is inborn; usually difficult or impossible to change.

Embodied Status

A status generated by physical characteristics.

Achieved Status

A status earned through individual effort or imposed by others.

Master Status

A status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses an individual possesses.

Stereotyping

Judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people.

Role

The set of behaviors expected of someone because of their status.

Role Conflict

Experienced when an individual occupies two or more roles with contradictory expectations.

Role Strain

Experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role.

Role Exit

The process of leaving a role that an individual will no longer occupy.

Role-Taking Emotions

Emotions such as sympathy, embarrassment, or shame that require assuming the perspective of another person or group and responding accordingly.

Feeling Rules

Norms regarding the expression and display of emotions; expectations about acceptable or desirable feelings in a given situation.

Emotional Labor

The process of evoking, suppressing, or otherwise managing feelings to create a publicly observable display of emotion.

Agency

The ability of the individual to act freely and independently.